In 1937, Popular Mechanics predicted that cannabis would be a “Billion Dollar Crop.” Ironically, the article was published at the same time Congress quietly banned farmers from growing it and Hearst launched his nationwide anti-marijuana propaganda campaign known as “Reefer Madness.” Thus began prohibition that would prevent Popular Mechanic’s prediction from coming to fruition. Until recently…

Now that 21 states have legalized medical marijuana, and four states and Washington D.C. have legalized it for recreational use, the industry-wide returns are already surpassing Popular Mechanic’s prediction. We can only imagine the economic upside when our politicians finally end the prohibition.

This special section, Pot Potentials: Politics, Profits and Prosperity is dedicated to the potential for cannabis to not only bring economic prosperity, but also to help preserve natural resources and create a healthier world. Some have said that the Future of Our Planet depends upon it.

With that in mind, this section presents a collection of features articles, commentary, videos and news from other sources having to do with current politics, economics, business opportunity and potential for prosperity in the cannabis sector.

This is an exciting time for long-time advocates of medical marijuana, who have tried for years to educate people about the potential for cannabis to treat patients suffering from like cancer, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia and a multitude of other chronic diseases. At long last, medical benefits of cannabis are getting mainstream media attention, which is prompting lawmakers to readdress the prohibition.

This special section is dedicated to the doctors and patients that have shared their triumph over chronic medical conditions that conventional pharmaceuticals haven’t helped. We’ve included videos, testimonials and related news from other sources, and we’ll continue to update this section as we learn more about the Miracles of Medical Marijuana.

Hemp Revisited: Prohibition to Prosperity is a six part series documenting our nation’s prohibition on one of the earth’s most sustainable, healthy and useful cash crops. Despite the fact that it is indigenous to most regions in the country and grows rapidly in adverse climates, including drought, without pesticides or fertilizer, Hemp has been illegal to grow freely in the U.S. since 1937.

Hemp Revisited uncovers the history of hemp and investigates the politics, social stigmas, injustices and conspiracies behind its prohibition. The full article was originally written by Snowden Bishop in in 2010 and has recently been updated to include the rapidly evolving story of hemp.